I think on the engine building side of things, the internet has been a thorn in the side of many, many engine builders. Unfortunately there are many instances of mis-information out there and in some cases of too much information. I am sure that some of the magazine build up over the years have created a few headaches as well.

Whilst it may not affect the US & Canadian based engine builders as much, selling parts for Australian engine Builders has basically all but ceased. In many cases the customer can land certain items for less than the builder can buy it for. Certain distibutors of performance parts over here can be somewhat over priced compared to others. The problem is the one in question is probably the largest here in Australia.

No matter where you are, you are going to get guys wanting work done for next to nothing, and they are usually the ones to complain the most when something goes wrong.

Further on to what Jim said, with class style racing, if the engine builder doesn't have a National record or a championship, I won't be handing my $$$ to someone else to come second or be first round fodder.

This thread has been a very interesting read